Description:Addie has always known
what she was running toward. In cross-country, in life, in love. Until
she and her boyfriend—her sensitive, good-guy boyfriend—are careless one
night and she ends up pregnant. Addie makes the difficult choice to
have an abortion. And after that—even though she knows it was the right
decision for her—nothing is the same anymore. She doesn’t want anyone
besides her parents and her boyfriend to know what happened; she doesn’t
want to run cross-country; she can’t bring herself to be excited about
anything. Until she reconnects with Juliana, a former teammate who’s
going through her own dark places.

Review: Ask Me How I Got Here is not an easy read and tackles serious issues such as teen sexuality, abortion, morality, and religion which may be uncomfortable for some readers. Addie
Solokowski seems to fit the almost-perfect teen trope: she has supportive parents, a top athlete, and a loving boyfriend. Addie and Nick are enjoying a healthy, deeply supportive,
and sex-positive relationship. When they are less careful one night, Addie becomes pregnant. After some serious deliberation and support from her parents and Nick, Addie has an abortion. The author does a good job in showing how externally Addie may be okay with her decision but internally she is grappling with depression as we watch her slowly pull away from track and lose interest with Nick. Though
Addie struggles with her decision afterward, she remains solid in the
fact that she made the right one. The book could easily be didactic, but Addie's musings on religion, sexuality, and keen observation avoids the preachy tone. Interspersed with poetry are Addie's letters to her unborn baby are short yet powerful and the book's strength. My biggest problem with the book is that it abruptly changes direction as Addie rapidly develops a crush on Juliana, a girl who is wrestling with her own personal demons and seeking therapy for self harm. The last minute switch is jarring and undeveloped. I'm not completely sure if the novel in verse format is the right for the characters and the topic. I would much rather have had this book written in prose so it can flesh out some of the characters and under developed parts of the book.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There are allusions to sex and having an abortion as mentioned in the book's description. There is also some language, underage drinking, and crude sexual humor. Recommended for older teens.

If you like this book try: I Know It's Over by C.K. Martin, Detour for Emmy by Marilyn Reynolds

Hmm... I am glad I read your review. I was considering reading this but I know I wouldn't like the things you mentioned, and the verse would likely bother me too. I really did like Exit, Pursued By a Bear that takes on abortion.

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